Julia Stilwell is a college freshman grieving the loss of
her brother, the fallout from which her family is still struggling to overcome.
She’s also acclimating to a new school, lifestyle, and two mysterious suitors.
Sam Blount works in the snack bar of a small college in
Pennsylvania. He’s much older than the students, but still relates to them,
trading barbs and attending campus parties. Aside from being a bit socially
awkward, he seems like a nice guy.
Marcus Broley is in one of Julia’s classes and takes an
immediate interest in her. They go on a couple dates, but Julia quickly gets a
taste of his overprotective side.
The novel alternates between these three narrators. It moves
at a quick clip, from Julia and Marcus’ first date, to Sam’s pursuit and Julia’s
wavering interest between the two men, and ultimately to a heated ending that you'd expect from any good thriller.
It’s
the usual thriller in its pace and plot arc, both of which I appreciated. I finished the book in a day while on vacation. For me, the difference between this and other thrillers is that the
reader isn’t quite sure who the bad guy is until you're well into the story.
There were times I wanted to smack Julia for
her naiveté and poor decision-making skills. But then I remembered I had an
equally hard time fully discerning the truth behind these men – and I had the
benefit of knowing what each one was thinking. I appreciated the little flecks
of doubt Justin inserted into his story to keep me guessing until the moment I
realized exactly what was happening and it was too late for Julia to do
anything but succumb to her fate.
While Finny was a coming of age saga, this is more of a
quick frolic. If we’re being honest, I would’ve preferred a little more depth
to these characters, and a few more twists and turns (frankly, I'll say this about any thriller because I love a good twisty plot). However, there were
enough twists to keep the predictability at bay. The alternating narration kept the plot moving and kept me turning the pages. 4 stars.
**I received a free advanced copy of this book for review purposes, but my opinion is all my own!**
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